‘Over Your Dead Body’ Interview: Director Jorma Taccone

The film stars Jason Segel (‘Shrinking’), Samara Weaving (‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’), Paul Guilfoyle (‘Spotlight’), Keith Jardine (‘Shot Caller’), Timothy Olyphant (‘Alien: Earth’), and Juliette Lewis (‘Cape Fear’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Jorma Taccone about his work on ‘Over Your Dead Body’, remaking ‘The Trip’, shooting the action sequences, the music, and putting together the exceptional cast.

Related Article: Jason Segel Talks Apple TV+’s ‘Shrinking’ and Working with Harrison Ford

(L to R) Jason Segel and Samara Weaving in Jorma Taccone’s ‘Over Your Dead Body’. Courtesy of Independent Film Company. An Independent Film Company Release.

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and the challenges of remaking ‘The Trip’?

Jorma Taccone: Well, this is based on a Norwegian movie called ‘The Trip’, originally called ‘In Bad Days’ by Tommy Wirkola, and it’s a very funny movie. Tommy did movies like ‘Violent Night’. I was really a big fan of all his stuff. He’s more of an action-comedy guy. I’m more of a comedy-action guy. So, there’s a Venn diagram there. The original movie is very dark. It’s angry but it’s very funny too. I was very interested in, one, what a different cast would bring to it. There are some pretty big changes that have happened with our bad guys. When I read the original script, I was really impressed that Nick (Kocher) and Brian (McElhaney), who are very funny writers, had captured the tone that I really wanted to present, which is the characters being a bit more redeemable and really trying to earn the ending of the movie. It’s a series of tricks that this movie is doing of threading all these different needles. It’s like three movies in one. It’s this suspense/thriller, into almost a home invasion, into an action movie and it just ramps. So, it was pushing the comedy, which is obviously my heart, not wanting to break anything and having the reality of the world. But really doing all those tones, having all these twists and turns, and having the comedy stitch it all together in this way that felt like such an awesome challenge. Showing different shades of things that maybe people don’t expect from me.

(L to R) Timothy Olyphant, Juliette Lewis, and Keith Jardine in Jorma Taccone’s ‘Over Your Dead Body’. Courtesy of Independent Film Company. An Independent Film Company Release.

MF: Can you talk about your approach to filming the action sequences?

JT: I mean, there’s a lot of cool set pieces in this movie. With the days that you have and the time that you have, it’s always challenging to get. A half a page of action lines can take a full day to shoot. So, it’s always like that. There’s a whole action set piece that goes all around the front yard and there’s brutal stuff that happens. There are maybe ten different gags that happen that are just really over the top violent and it’s so fun. It’s also funny and disturbing. So, that was a fun one to block and choreograph with 87North Productions, who are known for ‘Bullet Train’, ‘Atomic Blonde’, ‘John Wick’. So, I had the best stunt team on the planet. Then I’m also weaving all my dumb comedy into it as well. So, it was those moments that you’re just like, “This is so fun to have so many different things going on in one scene.”

Samara Weaving in Jorma Taccone’s ‘Over Your Dead Body’. Courtesy of Independent Film Company. An Independent Film Company Release.

MF: Can you talk about the music you used in the film?

JT: I’m obsessed with audio. There’s all these EDM songs that are in the movie that I got Karen Gillan to do. So, she did this song, and Samara Weaving does a song. But if there is chaos, there’s even more chaos with audio and there’s this crazy song happening. So, it was fun to build all that stuff up.

(L to R) Samara Weaving and Jason Segel in Jorma Taccone’s ‘Over Your Dead Body’. Courtesy of Independent Film Company. An Independent Film Company Release.

MF: Finally, what was it like putting this cast together and working with them on set?

JT: Well, one of the things I’ve been saying, which I think holds very true, is that my wife (director Marielle Heller) was saying that there’s a head of every department and there’s always a head of the acting department. Jason Siegel was absolutely that for me. He was the hub of the wheel that we first got. Then to get Samara who works so well with him, and she’s so funny in this movie. She’s playing an Australian too, which was great for her improv to just be able to go toe to toe with Jason. There’s so much fun between them. But then Timothy Olyphant, who was difficult to convince, but I did it. Then him and Juliette are so funny. Then, Keith Jardine, who is mostly known for MMA fighting, but he’s been in a ton of stuff. He’s the sweetest man on the planet and he’s so funny in this. Then, Paul Guilfoyle, who’s unbelievable as this dad character. So, I got incredibly lucky. But Jason was the start of that, of the ball rolling towards this incredible cast.

Editorial Note: Tessa Smith conducted the interview and contributed to this article.

Timothy Olyphant in Jorma Taccone’s ‘Over Your Dead Body’. Courtesy of Independent Film Company. An Independent Film Company Release.

What is the plot of ‘Over Your Dead Body’?

A couple (Jason Segel and Samara Weaving) tries to reconnect while on vacation, only to find out they have plans to kill each other.

Who is in the cast of ‘Over Your Dead Body’?

• Jason Segel as Dan
• Samara Weaving as Lisa
• Paul Guilfoyle as Michael
• Keith Jardine as Todd
• André Eriksen as Hollywood Todd
• Timothy Olyphant as Pete
• Ilkka Villi as Hollywood Pete
• Juliette Lewis as Allegra
• Iina Kuustonen as Hollywood Allegra
• Andy Cohen as Himself

‘Over Your Dead Body’ opens in theaters on April 24th.

List of Jorma Taccone Movies:

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